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Byzanz is a Linux program that lets you capture your screen but not in a video but in an animated GIF image. This is very useful for tutorial or presentations and you will definitely explain better using an image than in words when describing an action. You can use it to capture a whole your desktop, a window or a region you select.

To install Byzanz in Ubuntu, simply run this in a terminal:

sudo apt-get install byzanz

For other distros, search it in your package manager or use this download link.

After installation, right click on a panel and select "Add to Panel" and then select "Desktop Recorder". In fact you can see how to do this in a GIF recored using Byzanz:

Notes1. You need to disable Compiz to be able to record without any issues. To do this, press Alt + F2 on your keyboard and type:

metacity --replace

To switch Compiz back on:

compiz --replace

2. When you open the animated GIF with an image viewer, you will only see a slide of the image which is not animated. To see the animation, open the recorded desktop image with Firefox.